Astronomy Telescopes for Beginners Including Binoculars

With such a variety of astronomy telescopes for beginners, choosing which is most suitable, can take time. So, in this article we recommend several telescopes for their quality, ease of handling, and will fit most budgets.

 

Try Before you Buy

The best advice we can give before buying astronomy telescopes for beginners is first to visit your local Astronomical Society or Astronomy Club who will be happy to help you choose a suitable instrument — many will be able to offer hands-on practical experience with a variety of telescopes explaining the pros and cons of each design.

Check out the events from the Federation of Astronomical Societies website for your nearest Society or Club.

The dobsonian telescope moves easily on a rotating base, so they can point at any part of the sky. They are great value for money, ideal for beginners (including children from about 10), and great for observing the Moon, planets, and the brighter deep sky objects such as galaxies and nebulae.

 

Sky-Watcher 6″ Classic Dobsonian Telescope

Dobsonian telescopes are sturdy, have good-quality optics, and come with extensive reflective surfaces (mirrors) that gather more light.

Dobsonians are extremely easy to use. They move up and down and twist on a rotating base, meaning they can point at any part of the sky. They are good value for money, ideal for beginners (including children from about 10), and great for observing the Moon, planets, and the brighter deep sky objects such as galaxies and nebulae. 

If you can embrace their size, a big ground-mounted reflector provides views of the universe like nothing else. They are simply the best telescopes for the price, with even a relatively low-budget 6-inch large enough to see galaxies, nebulae, and surface details on the planets. 

 

They are terrific fun to use too, and little can go wrong if you look after them! Sometimes simple is best. A Skywatcher Dobsonian will introduce you to deep-sky astronomy at a price usually reserved for smaller (and therefore less powerful) telescopes.

 

Skywatcher Dobsonian

One of the better astronomy telescopes for beginners is a Skywatcher Dobsonian, you’ll become more than an observer of the cosmos; you will actively participate in finding objects and feel the excitement of discovery. 

With guidance, these portable Dobsonian telescopes are ideal for children aged 6 to 10. They make perfect travel scopes for a family stargazing adventure to a dark sky region! They all give great views of the Moon, planets, and brighter deep sky objects such as the Andromeda Galaxy and the Orion Nebula. We highly recommend the Ursa Major range of table-top Dobsonians, which have excellent quality eyepieces resulting in much better views than the “toy” telescopes sold in department stores!

Classic Sky-Watcher Dobsonians come with a Tension Control Handle. This real improvement allows you to lock the tube in its current position and adjust the tension between the tube and mount to accommodate a heavier eyepiece, Telrad finder, etc.

Many smaller Dobsonians come with a 1.25″ focuser. Still, the Sky-Watcher includes:

A 2″ focuser with a 1.25″ eyepiece adapter.

1.25″ and 2″ eyepieces and barreled accessories. like

Barlow lenses and collimators.

Also included with the 6″ SW Dob are two (2) 1.25″ eyepieces (10 mm & 25 mm) and a 6 x 30 finder.

In addition to the Classic Sky-Watcher Dobsonian 6″ there are the 8″ and 10″ telescopes in the series.These telescopes can be pointed to anywhere in the sky by either rotating the box on the lazy-suzan base, or by pushing the telescope up or down.

 

Specifications

• Optical Design: Newtonian
• Mirror Type: Parabolic
• Primary Mirro Aperture: 153 mm
• Secondary Mirror Aperture: 34.5 mm
• Focal Length: 1200 mm
• F/Ratio: F/7.8
• Highest Practical Power: 306x
• Faintest Steller Magnitude: 13.6
• Finder Scope: 6×30
• Focuser Diameter: 2″ with 1.25″ adapter
• Eyepiece: 1.25″ Super 25 mm and 10 mm
• Tube Weight w/Accessories: 15 lb.
• Shipping Weight: 25 kg total (two boxes)

 

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Sky-Watcher StarTravel-102 Refracting Telescope

This telescope is perfect for a astronomer’s first telescope or those looking for a great traveling telescope! This telescope also accepts 2″ diagonals for amazing expansive field views while giving crisp images with slight chromatic aberration. 

Sky-Watcher StarTravel 102mm Refracting telescope on an AZ3 mount is a two-element, air-spaced, achromatic refractor. With exceptional Sky-Watcher craftsmanship, this telescope gives “rich field” astronomical views.

 

 

With the alt-azimuth mount, the Star Travel is also an excellent telescope for terrestrial views of star fields, clusters, nebulae, galaxies, planets, the Moon, the Sun (with correct filtering), and the plants and creatures of the land. In that case, this telescope is an excellent addition to your astronomical toolbox.

 

Refracting Telescope

Refracting telescope uses lenses instead of mirrors to gather light. The easily portable mount connects to your smartphone or tablet and automatically uses your device’s date, time, and GPS coordinates to align the telescope with objects in the sky. Observe the Moon, planets, star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies using the app on your mobile! Such convenience does come at the expense of the aperture (light-gathering area); however, this telescope still offers fantastic views!

With awesome included accessories such as the tripod accessory tray, the 25mm and 10mm Super eyepieces, the 1.25″ erect 45° image diagonal, the 2″ to 1.25″ adapter, and the red dot finder, this StarTravel 102 AZ3 telescope gives an all-encompassing viewing experience that new and experienced amateur astronomers are sure to enjoy.

 

Specifications

• Type: Achromatic Refractor
• Aperture: 102mm
• Focal Ratio: f/4.9
• Focal Length: 500mm
• Mount: Manual AZ3 Alt-Azimuth mount
• Tripod: Adjustable Aluminum Tripod
• Focuser: 2″ Rack & Pinion
• Eyepieces: 25mm and 10mm Super eyepieces
• Included: Tripod accessory tray, 1.25″ erect 45° image diagonal, 2″ to 1.25″ adapter, and red dot finder

 

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Best Beginner’s Binoculars

 

Celestron 7×50 Cometron

Wide 6.8° apparent field of view of the Celestron Cometron 7 x 50 binoculars shows you the big picture. A pair of 7×50 binoculars are often the best instrument for viewing comets!

Light-gathering capability of these 50mm Celestron Cometron 7×50 binoculars allows for their use in low-light conditions and for astronomy.

 

Most anyone can hand-hold a 7×50 pair of binoculars. Their relatively low power displays a broader field of view, lets a giant beam of light (called the exit pupil) hit your eyes so you can see more detail, and does not cause image shake like higher power binoculars to tend to do.

It is why a 7×50 model, such as this pair of Cometrons, is the most widely recommended binoculars for astronomy.

The large 50 mm objective lenses and multi-coated optics offer exceptional light-gathering capabilities that bring celestial objects into bright, sharp focus, making them ideal for comet watching, stargazing, and viewing craters on the Moon. Cometron 7×50’s wide field of view lets you explore expansive swaths of the sky to pinpoint the object you want to see quickly, then keeps it in your field without constant movement.

 

Specifications

• Magnification: 7 x
• Exit Pupil (mm): 7.1 mm (0.28 in)
• Eye Relief (mm): 13 mm (0.51 in)
• Apparent Field of View: 6.8°
• Optical Coatings: Multi-coated
• Prism Glass (Type): BK7
• IPD Max: 72mm mm (2.83 in)
• IPD Min: 56mm mm (2.2 in)
• Close Focus: 26.2 ft / 8 m
• Relative Brightness: 50
• Water Proof: No
• Included Accessories: Neck strap, carrying case, objective lens caps, eyepiece caps, lens cloth, instruction manual
• Weight (oz): 27.3 oz (774 g)

 

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With the astronomy telescopes for beginners mentioned here, you’ll be surprised how much of our solar system you can see! You don’t need a dark sky to view all of our solar system’s planets; even under city lights, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn can be easy to see with these telescopes.